)', ' : . . .:. '. __:::.<:1 :: t t): \. ::':/.:' i:' :'::: '- ; ,, #If: ;:. '/"',: ,,' , '''', . .1 .n': -:.:. . . . :: . .. :;.' "' : ..,... .^.;,::';; ;>i"",' ' ,1 \ ;f.$ , 1Ø $"., " ".; .;..:..>........i;.: '-, 1/ " \ \.:""', ':, b- 0::.' ., :? : .: '," " " " I he touches turns to excitement!" This is not guaranteed to inspire good will when you're struggling to :fix the shower head. Bond still drives an Aston Mar- tin-his newest model is the unambigu- ous V12 Vanquish, which will doubtless come with accessories every bit as practi- cal as the ejector seat of its predecessor, the DB5-whereas we grind around town in dented beige station wagons, equipped with state-of-the-art juice boxes and high-intensity dog hairs. Nothing is more galling than Bond's locomotion; still cruising after all these years, he has escaped the inferno of coach class, and, were we ever to glimpse him at baggage claim, glumly awaiting a faded hold- all, the magic would drop awa As it is, the world is still his oyster, full of pearly girls. One could argue that Bond has an unfair advantage. After all, whenever age begins to muster its forces, launching sneak raids on the lines of his waist and hair, the producers simply throw the actor away and buy another one. 007 is the bastard son of Dorian Gray, blessed wi th a license to kill and a refusal to die, doomed to stay fit and chipper while his earlier selves gradually thicken and molder in the attic. All of which may account for the envy that writhes at the root of our mania for Bond: if only . : {,: ,,: : . -- , i, ' ." . . . .. ::-- .u.... " '.. ',',:' we, too, could recast ourselves at will, discarding our skin as it wrinkles, ex- changing our grins and tics for some- thing :&esher as they sag into mannerism. Hamlet is transfigured by every perfor- mance, and even the senescence of Lear demands rejuvenation; when Olivier en- ters and exits those roles, he leaves be- hind a trace of his temperament, and the character-more flux than :fixed point- will be subtly but irrevocably changed. Bond, on the other hand, is a brand; al- though we instinctively compare Sean Connery with Roger Moore, the prod- uct is larger than either of them, and he is marketed as ferociously as his cho- sen Smirnoff The actors can shake his image all they like, but the man himself is unstirred. H ow did the whole thing start? In 1961, the producers Harry Saltz- man and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli, having secured the rights to Bond, held what amounted to a beauty contest. They whittled the contestants for the leading role down to a dashing six; so we are informed, at any rate, by John Cork and Bruce Scivally, in ''James Bond: The Legacy" (Abrams; $49.95), a dense and gleaming companion to the 007 phe- nomenon. The initial winner was not Connery but-wait for it-"28-year-old .- ' i:" <.:' it..: ,-.,., . ...,": .' - . : '-. 0): .' " , . :> '- . -... 's .' I . " "h.:o. . ", <-.-,- ---- ,'.:..:}:t. , 1 ,> "- . . t.>.;.: ' ":'_\ . !:: ::. , ;t' ,', .... . .f' - -: , , .: :: " ' . '\ ;.- .- I, ' .' ,<\., . i . , , ," :: " :'" "'" "', . , , . :.t.;" ... Peter Anthony, a professional model." Everything about those words is perfect; let us take a moment to picture Mr. An- thony, the aftershave rising off him like steam :&om a thoroughbred, gazing ma- turely into the middle distance in his club-class knitwear and international slacks. If he subsequently lost the job, it was only because Broccoli decided that "he lacks the technique to cope with such a demanding part." Thus Connery strolled into the role, and the rest was histo chemis exotic geography, and all the other core subjects in the Bond curriculum. The budget wouldn't run to a Rolex, so Broccoli un- snapped one :&om his wrist and tossed it over. Cast against Bond as Dr. No was Joseph Wiseman, who had no inkling of the storm that the film would create, or of the long line of malformed egoma- niacs in tight collars that it was his un- witting privilege to head. "I thought it might be just another Grade- B Charlie Chan mystery," Wiseman said, and in some ways he wasn't wrong. The Bond series is a B-movie :&anchise that turned into an A-list event. The most telling ex- change in "Dr. No," all those years ago, comes when Bond is informed, over a glass of Dom Pérignon '55, of the Doc- tor's nefarious plans. Connery unleashes his patent combination of smile, smirk, ......-"\;:.:' :: .. ':. \ ;'" .... ,- ...oj ...., ... . .A-:.;. . . .. ./. : .-.. . .,' : . . ,:f:, n\ .:i^' ':.. ... . l"'ð ." . .' .:.: ....:; .., , .' . "